Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with tenders for seeds or other agricultural particulates, permitting the products to be loaded at a central location, such as a dealer, and subsequent transfer thereof to a field location where the products can be off-loaded to planters, fertilizer spreaders, or other field equipment. More particularly, the invention is concerned with self-contained tenders which are designed to be bodily mounted on a conventional trailer and include a lift conveyor, which can be selectively moved between a stowed position permitting safe travel, and a deployed position where the products may be off-loaded. A particular feature of the tenders is the ability to locate the lift conveyor at an infinite number of lateral and elevated positions, thereby facilitating rapid off-loading.
Description of the Prior Art
In many farming operations, planting is done using tractor-towed planters which include one or more seed or grain bins and apparatus for depositing seed into furrows traversed by the planters. In such operations, it is necessary to deliver the seed to the fields where the planters are located. To meet this need, so-called seed tenders have been developed which are typically self-contained mobile units which can be filled with seed at a dealer or other central location, and then moved to the fields. In order to be useful, such tenders must provide a means for readily moving seed from the tender to planters with a minimum of time and effort. Accordingly, tenders are commonly provided with elongated, swingable delivery conveyors, which can be raised or lowered as desired.
However, these delivery conveyors must be safely stowed in travel positions which do not interfere with travels of the tenders. Thus, the conveyors must be moved to positions which do not interfere with overhead lines or traffic. In some prior tenders, this design constraint has resulted in the inability to easily maneuver the conveyors to a variety of delivery positions in the field. In other words, the necessity of providing a safe travel position for the conveyors has limited the positions which the conveyors can assume in the field.
There is accordingly a need in the art for improved tenders which provide both a safe and secure stowed position for the delivery conveyors, while at the same time effectively allowing the conveyor to be moved an infinity of delivery positions in the field.